Portrait Brief - Graphite Visual Analysis

This piece of work is from a portrait brief, it is a visual analysis I produced of playwriter Samuel Beckitt. I created this using graphite sticks and pencils which was a great tool to use when trying to emphasise light and shade. I wanted to further the development process for this piece of work so I went on to scan it into photo shop, using the dodge and burn tool I enhanced the light and dark areas even more to give a good idea of the direction of light. Experimenting even further I began to drop colour using a very translucent brush tool onto the face in certain areas.

Society Today - Police Brutality Typography

I had a brief titled Society Today, for this brief I had to pick a subject matter from todays society which I believed was a major problem or has a major effect on the way the public run there lives. Police brutality is the theme I went down and I was really inspired by graphic designer and typography artist Luke Lucas and took inspiration from his work in forming shape and composition using text and typography, after doing so I developed this idea expressing the police brutality going on in todays society.

Photographs Colin McPherson Inspired Isle Of Man

During my first brief in my A2 graphics course I was tasked to find a photographer I was inspired by and produce work that had elements of there own techniques in my own photographs. I decided to choose Colin McPherson a photographer and visual artist, his work has several key elements that is seen in photography today such as the usew of, composition, content and colour, also the rule of thirds, use of lines/shapes withing photography and the navigation around a photograph. These are things I have tried to incorperate into my own photographs I had taken when I went on a weekend away to the Isle Of Man.

Crisis Today - Postcard

I was set a brief too design a range of development ideas for a new TV programme named Crisis Today that would be aired with the focus on issues in the world. I designed a range of development including posters, postcards and other advertisement tools, but for my first idea I decided to design a postcard focussing on war and conflict around the world. Using both primary and secondary source photographs I created a collage piece with a montage of images relating to war.

Crisis Today - Poster

This is another design for my Crisis Today brief I did during my A2 Graphics course, this piece is a poster I produced carrying the message of the dangers in the environment of a child. I mainly focused on things such as video games, television and the infuence they can have on children. For this design I specifically wanted a very basic but strong image so I included one of the many photographs I had taken of my nephew, this one with him holding his hand up to represent a gun. I thought this was a great photograph and I had took great inspiration from Oliviero Toscani and his use of shocking and controversial imagary. In terms of the piece on a whole I believe I have used negative space well and have obvious good use of photo shop tools and skills.
                      
                         Below is a range of other development work inspired by Oliviero Toscani.

Passions & Obsessions - Action Figure Mono Print

This is a piece of work from my Passions & Obsessions brief which I done in my A-levels where I had to pick something which I was either passionaite about or and obsession. For me this was a great brief to be given as I'm passionaite about several thing one being comic book/graphic novels and action figures. I decided to combine them both and I firstly brought In action figures of my favourite comic book characters from the world of Marvel and took photographs of them from different angles, different parts of there body and within different compositions. The work above is a mono print of one of the photographs I had taken, for this I focused on the basic form of the action figure and the negative space within the photograph.

Passions & Obsessions - Action Figure Controlled Paintings with Mono

I decided to begin producing a visual analysis of my action figure from a photograph I had taken. Before I started I inserted the photograph into photo shop and changed the levels as well as making the shadows and highlights more prodominant to give an extra sense of depth and a three dimension. Using acryllic paint I developed a very controlled and realistic painting with a multitude of shadows and highlights with a short range of colours just like in todays graphic novels and comics.

After several experimentation with different mediums I decided to combine two of the more successful ones which where my conrtolled style of painting and mono printing, together as a composition. Instead of painting straight onto the mono print itself I first painted the image of the action figure onto a piece of asotate, this was very challenging as I had to paint backwards putting highlighted layers as the base colour and the darkened areas as the top layer. Once flipped and on the dry side of the asotate I used a fineliner to pick out fine detail and form to give the painting that contour comic book impression.

Passions & Obsessions - Action Figure Paint and Print Experimentation

After experimenting with both mono printing and water colour painting I decided to take my experimentation process further by combining the two methods together. I did this by firstly producing a free hand water colour of my action figure waiting for it to dry then went on to mono printing of the top of it with a photograph of the same action figure.

Passions & Obsessions - Skyline Mono Print Composition

After experimenting with mixing both my water colour paintings and mono prints of my action figure I decided to scan them into photo shop. After experimenting with other prints and changing layers and the composition several times I produced this piece as part of my development work. It has my Captain America water colour/print hovering over the New York City skyline, this was to foreshadow him representing America against common threats. A real life superhero.

Passions & Obsessions - Ground Zero Mono Print

To further my development work using mono printing I decided to produce a print of ground zero and what it looks like after the collapse of the world trade centre and during its reconstruction. I did this to shadow the effect this catastrophic event had on America, I also tried to keep the line within the print as contour as possible to show my inpiration of the comic book style from the likes of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Journey Brief - Abstract Paintings Composed on Photo Shop

I have decided to put all three of these pieces of work together to present as one as I believe they really work well as a set of paintings complimenting eachother with both colour and composition. They are from my exploratory stage on a brief named Journey. I decided to focus on my journey that I take walking to my local rugby teams club and in doing so produced several mark making illustrations inspired by Frank Auerbach, I then composed these into abstract paintings. I then scanned these paintings into photo shop to manipulate the content and composition creating really interesting form and successful pieces of work. I then decided furthered my process and went on to painting over the print outs and scratching texture into them for more depth.

Life Drawing - Clown Nose

This image is of a piece of work I did during my life drawing lessons in class, we had a male model in which he would come to class every monday morning for several weeks and we would create observations of him using a range of drawing styles and techniques. The technique I have used for this particular piece is called clown nose drawing, which when drawing everything is connected via line to compose a form or shape of an object, in this case I was drawing our male model. I have darkened areas purposely to suggest areas of pain and stress as the model was in the position for a long time (around 20 minutes).

Lick It Good - Energy Conservation Postage Stamp's

Above are two pieces of work I created for a brief which intailed myself having to design postage stamps commemorative towards energy conservation. I had a choice of which method's and techniques I was allowed to use to design these postage stamps, which where, Collage, Stippled, Gouache or Pastel, Photo-Realistic, and Folk Art ways of working. I decided I wanted to work with collage and using bits of old newspaper (using articles with relevance to saving energy), water colour and text layered over eachother to create my stamps. I believe they are very interesting pieces of work although they are unfinished and just experimentation pieces I think they convey my message of energy related references very successfully.

Pathway Work - Green Peace Poster Development

 

The three pieces of work above are from my development stage in my constilation pathway brief, I decided to use the green piece logo in the work as I was focusing on the tabboo subject of saving the environment. I chose this subject because I wanted to relate to David Hockney and the contraversial topics he chooses to convey in  his work such as homosexuality. Using some of the many prints I experimented with such as, quick printing, lino printing, and mono printing, I furthered and refined them and went on to scanning them into photo shop to develop these three experimentary poster designs using several tools, filters and changing the transparency of an image layering and creating depth. 

Self Portrait - Ink & Nib Illustrations

These two images are from a Self Portrait brief I did for my Pathway 2 project. I decided to focus on my passions and interests in terms of a self portrait of myself and I went on to using ink and nib tool to create these two illustrations. They are actually observations of class mates playing poker on our lunch break, I set the game up and decided to do these life drawings from the game to show my passion for playing poker. I believe using the nib tool really expresses the excitement I get when playing poker, and I also tried to focus on perspective and the 'Poker Face' on a poker player.

Self Portrait - Ink & Nib Illustrations

These two images are from a Self Portrait brief I did for my Pathway 2 project. I decided to focus on my passions and interests in terms of a self portrait of myself and in doing so I created these two illustrations of me drawing, which is one of my various passions. I had to position a mirror at several different angles and parts of the room untill I was happy with the form and composition to then start during myself. The observations where produced using the nib and ink tool which has now become a new favourite way of working for me.

Poster - No More Fracking Banksy Inspired

Here is a poster I created for my latest pathway project which was a two week brief where we individually got set a task to create a minimum of three ideas for images that illustrate the attached report/editorial. We were only allowed to use the following five mediums, Pen/Ink, Collage, Water Colour/Acrylic Washes, and Computer Manipulation. Experimenting with this photograph in Photo Shop I beleive I have created a successful poster idea to advertise the fight against the big petrol distributors who purchase petroleum from Fracking companies. As my article was of a political and environemtal subject matter, I decided to take inspiration from Banksy.

Lino Print - Fracking

Here is a lino print I created for my latest pathway project which was a two week brief where we individually got set a task to create a minimum of three ideas for images that illustrate the attached report/editorial. We were only allowed to use the following five mediums, Pen/Ink, Collage, Water Colour/Acrylic Washes, and Computer Manipulation. This print was an experimentation piece I was going to manipulate in Photo Shop. The article I was given was focused on environmentalist's protesting against the Fracking establishment, I believe this print gives a good clue to what it is relating too.